The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
An alternator is a device which is equipped in an engine of a vehicle to generate power, in which a rotating shaft of the alternator is combined with a pulley which is connected to a crank shaft by a belt.
A method for allowing an alternator to generate power is as follows. First, a driving force of the engine is delivered to the crank shaft. The crank shaft converts the driving force of the engine to a rotating force and the rotating force of the crank shaft is delivered to the alternator's pulley through the belt. The alternator's pulley delivers the rotating force to the rotating shaft of the alternator to operate a power generator connected to the rotating shaft, and as a result, the alternator generates power.
However, when the alternator is used over a long period of time, the combined state of the alternator's pulley with the belt may loose and the alternator's pulley may run idle. That is, as the driving distance of the vehicle is long, the rotating force is frequently applied to the alternator's pulley through the belt, thereby reducing tension and durability of the belt. As a result, the combined state of the alternator's pulley with the belt looses and the alternator's pulley runs idle. When the alternator's pulley runs idle, noise and vibration are greatly generated at the combined portion of the alternator's pulley with the belt.
According to the related art to reduce the noise and the vibration, there is a need to increase the tension of the belt between the crank shaft and the alternator's pulley so as to reinforce the combined state of the alternator's pulley with the belt.
However, according to the related art, to increase the tension of the belt, there is a need to apply a larger rotating force to the crank shaft so as to drive the belt having a high tension. As a result, fuel efficiency of the vehicle may be remarkably aggravated or reduced.